All In
by Spiritslayer
Summary: Theft comes as easily as breathing and walking to Vex. When an abusive Mercer Frey pushes her over the edge, however, she decides to abandon the Thieves Guild! Now, she has revenge on her mind - and will not stop until she gets it. With the aid of an new ally, can Vex steal what's most valuable to the Guild from them - their monopoly on Skyrim's thievery?
1. Chapter 1

Night hung over Riften, the two moons casting their pale glow over the city, and the land beyond the city walls. With the exception of the guards patrolling, there was no one else in the streets of Riften. The guard patrols had doubled, too; instead of one guard down a path, there were two. The city's security had become an increasing concern, one driven home by a recent incident.

For the increased patrols, however, there was no torchlight, no moonlight, that gave away the single woman slinking through the shadows. She found it amusing that her pale complexion and blonde hair didn't give her away, and supposed that it only indicated just how skilled she was at infiltrations. Of course, it helped that she stuck to the back paths of Riften, where the guard patrols were fewer.

As she approached the Temple of Mara, she shifted the small bundle she had slung over her shoulder. A faint tinkling sound from within gave her reason to pause, but a quick glance around told her the pause was unnecessary. The stereotypical 'thief with bag of loot'... she certainly looked the part. That was part of the reason she didn't want to be discovered; the other part of it was trying to explain the contents of the bundle.

She slipped around to the temple's southern wall, where a familiar sight greeted her: a stone slab with a diamond carving upon its front, a circle fitted perfectly within the diamond. She glanced over her shoulder, shifted the bundle once again, and reached out to press her fingers against the carving. With a little extra force, she pressed it inward, stopping only when she heard the familiar click.

Then came the part she absolutely hated.

The stone slab began to slide back, grating over the stonework as it withdrew - and revealed the stairs hidden beneath it. Every second the slab withdrew, she was concerned and glancing over her shoulder, as if someone was going to suddenly come into view and spot the unusual - and admittedly, extremely suspicious - sight. The slab eventually came to a rest, and silence once again met her ears. Sweet, preferable silence.

She descended the stone steps hidden beneath the sliding stone slab, and gave a firm yank on the pull chain upon the wall at the bottom of the stairs. Again, the grating noise... again, the concern. When the slab settled into place once more, though, she allowed herself the tiniest of relieved sighs. Fresh concern consumed her, however, when she remembered she wasn't home free just yet.

There was still the matter of trying to avoid _him_. For all her best efforts, she simply couldn't avoid him. She tried and tried - even going so far as to buy a potion that granted her invisibility for a time, once - but he always... _always_ found her even so.

Not that there was anything technically wrong with Mercer Frey, of course, but she just felt... immensely uncomfortable around him. Not simply because he was the guildmaster, either, but because... well, the intensity he seemed to have about him. It made her very uncomfortable... especially when she'd spotted him gazing at her a few times in the past, in ways several other men had.

She slipped into the cistern as quietly as she could, and immediately dropped into a crouch. She would get by undetected this time. One cautious step after another, that's all she needed. That, and to stick to what shadows the torch and candlelight failed to repel - which, admittedly, was not much. She thought it was ridiculous that she had to sneak through the Ragged Flagon, but-

"When are you going to stop trying to sneak back in, Vex?" She froze and rolled her eyes at the question, asked by a man with dark hair, sharp eyes, and what seemed to be a permanent scowl etched upon his face. Of course he was standing in the center of the cistern; it wouldn't be kind enough of him to step behind his little desk. She stood up straight, seeing whereas she no longer needed to try sneaking.

He'd already caught her, and was now walking toward her. She hadn't even left the narrow corridor that led to the wooden ladder she'd just descended.

"I'll stop when you stop pestering me every single time I return, Mercer," she replied coolly.

"I have a duty to look after the guild and its members," he retorted, stopping a very short distance from her; definitely close enough to be uncomfortable for Vex.

"And why don't you bother everyone else whenever they return?" she shot back. "_Every time_ they return?"

"If memory serves, you took no one else with you to Goldenglow. Only _you_ failed the guild there." His reply was calm, but the look in his eyes was very harsh.

The reminder of her biggest failure to date stung, and made the small injuries she still bore sting as well. "We've been over this, Mercer," she growled. "Give it a damn rest al-"

_Smack_. His hand had struck her cheek faster than she could react, and interrupted her sharp reply. "You, Vex, are becoming obsolete in my eyes," he growled in a low voice. "There are only a couple of reasons I didn't get rid of you after you screwed up the Goldenglow job. Do not tempt me to rid the guild of you."

She reached up to rub her cheek, looking appalled that he'd struck her.

With the same hand he'd used to strike her, he reached out and gripped the bundle slung over her shoulder. "Let's see what you're trying to hide."

Her grip tightened upon the bundle. "No," she said defiantly.

His hand rose once more.

"Mercer!" The new voice made both Mercer and Vex jump a little. Vex considered it good fortune that the voice's owner had spoken up when he did, for it froze Mercer's hand in place... for now.

"I'm busy, Brynjolf," Mercer replied. His hand hung in the air, requiring naught but a swift movement to strike Vex again; his attention remained on the blonde Imperial.

Her gaze, however, was upon the two who followed Brynjolf into the cistern. Two complete strangers. That meant they were either there to be punished by Mercer for crossing the guild... or to join the guild. She took a closer look at both of them.

The first was a Nord female. Blonde, like she was... but not as pale. It was obvious she enjoyed spending time outside, beneath the sun. She wore scaled armor, and had a pair of what appeared to be dwarven daggers at her waist. The Nord's gaze was affixed upon Vex, and she seemingly understood what was going on between Vex and Mercer. She gave a sympathetic look to Vex, and in so doing, made the Imperial thief begin to respect the Nord. With a small nod back at her, Vex turned her gaze to the other.

A... Breton, from the looks of him. She wasn't too certain, not from the distance they currently had between them. Black hair, skin just as tanned as the Nord's. He wore 'everyday' clothing - at least, as 'everyday' as upper-class citizens of Skyrim would wear: a blue top, a few jeweled accessories, dark brown pants, fine black boots, and a fur drape. At his left hip, he wore a single steel dagger. He felt her gaze upon him, and turned his eyes from the rest of the cistern to her.

The two stared at each other for a few seconds, as if trying to determine the other's thoughts. When he looked away from her, Vex felt a twinge of irritation. Did he just dismiss her?

"We've all had a run of bad luck lately, Mercer," Brynjolf was saying, arms crossed. "That's no reason to hit Vex."

"Are you telling me how to run this guild?" he asked sharply. He struck Vex again, making her cry out, and making the two strangers start at the act. "Tell me, what jobs for the guild have _you_ performed dismally as of late, Brynjolf? Which jobs have you taken that should represent the guild, and because you failed, you made the guild look bad?"

Vex grit her teeth and rubbed her cheek once more. "I think the better question is, which jobs have you _not_ shoved onto me lately, and given the rest of the guild a chance to-"

_Smack_. His hand cut her off once more, except he swung with such force that he made her stagger, made her drop the bundle. As it hit the floor, there was a sound of items breaking within.

All eyes were upon Vex now. She looked down at the bundle, which had opened somewhat to reveal golden urns, candlesticks, and other items of exceptional value. Most were now broken, and considered worthless as such.

"I'm with Vex, Mercer." Brynjolf's tone was quiet. "The rest of us are aware of her desire to avoid you. The way you're treating her now, would you do any differently, were you in her position? I'm going to guess her latest job was a success - until you made her drop what she gathered."

"I did not _make_ her drop it," Mercer replied stiffly. "I cannot and will not be blamed for her physical weakness when it comes to unexpected force. _This_," he continued, gesturing to the bundle, and then to Vex, "is a failure."

Vex glowered at Mercer, moisture lining her eyes. She'd most certainly had enough of him, and decided she didn't want to stick around any longer.

Without a word, Vex turned on her heel and stormed out of the cistern, out of the Flagon...

Out of the Thieves Guild.

* * *

At the time, it had seemed a good idea to abandon the Thieves Guild, and its abusive Guildmaster. She was a talented thief; she could and would be able to make her own way without the guild and its resources.

Or so she'd thought. It had been a week now, and she still hadn't had the luck she'd hoped for. She'd had an easy enough time breaking into homes and stealing things that weren't exactly hers, to be sure, but when it came time to _sell_... she'd only managed to sell one of her stolen items to an honest merchant, and even that deal had been wrought with much concern that she wouldn't make the sale after all. Even then, the sale hadn't brought in nearly as much coin as Tonilia would have given her.

To put it simply, Vex was quickly realizing she was on the road to personal ruin. She needed a fence, needed to get paid to steal things for other people too cowardly to steal what they wanted themselves, needed a network of contacts.

She needed the Thieves Guild, much as she hated to admit it. She was fairly certain she wouldn't be welcome back, though, not after how she'd walked out on them. She especially didn't want to return to dealing with Mercer. As much as she needed the Guild, she was determined to make do without it.

If nothing else, she could always make a living as an employee at the Bee and Barb. Or maybe she could leave Riften behind and find a fresh start elsewhere.

At any rate, leaning against the door of Haelga's Bunkhouse, eyes staring at nothing in particular, Vex knew she needed to figure something out, and fast. She still had plenty of coin from her successful jobs in the past - but it was only a small fraction of what she'd left behind at the Guild. No doubt Mercer had broken into her personal chest and split-

She sighed heavily, and straightened up. All that gold, all those jewels and gemstones, all that expensive jewelry she'd collected... it was probably all gone. Divided among the members of the Guild that still remained. She'd always made it a point to sound like she spent all of her earnings frivolously, so as to avoid being outed as the rich thief she actually was - or had been, rather - but the truth was, she'd been saving up for something.

Not that it mattered now. Now, it was all gone. She only had the coin purse at her waist, and that was half empty. Soon, she'd have to actually make an honest living - gods forbid - or come across a miracle that would see her rich again.

She wondered where to go. Did she want to head for the marketplace? No. She didn't want to risk running into Brynjolf, let him try and talk her back into returning to the Guild. She also decided heading into the Bee and Barb was, in the end, a bad idea; Sapphire liked to frequent it, as did Brynjolf, and she didn't want a confrontation with either.

That didn't leave her with a lot of options. She knew she was tired of standing outside the Bunkhouse, and wanted to move around. She cast a glance to her left, toward the people coming and going into and out of Riften.

Maybe a walk outside the city would do her some good. Perhaps seeing the wilderness beyond the city's walls would clear her mind, give her some perspective. With that thought, she set off toward the northern gate, ready to take her walk.

It was odd, walking in plain clothes for a change, and not her black Guild leathers. Still, considering she'd cut ties with the Guild, she no longer had a need for the leathers; she didn't want to falsely represent them, after all. Anything she did was under her _own_ name now.

Vex.

Not the Thieves Guild. Just herself.

Nonetheless, none seemed to recognize her in plain clothes. A few stopped and stared, as if checking her out, but when she shot them a glare, they lowered their heads and kept walking. One man kept his gaze on her despite her glare, and even flashed a wicked smile. She rolled her eyes and picked up her pace, looking away from him pointedly.

Unfortunately for her, this didn't help her keep awareness of her surroundings. Picking up her pace as she had, she'd bumped into someone directly, gasping as she ran into them. She staggered back a little, but caught herself and steadied her stance. "I'm sorry," she said, not sounding completely sorry.

"As am I," came the reply from the figure - a smooth, female voice. Vex took a moment to size up the person she'd bumped into.

The first thing the Imperial realized was that she'd bumped into a wood elf wearing... rather odd armor. It was leather, but the brown bands were criss-crossed in the front; beyond that, it looked similar to the standard Guild leathers of the newly initiated, minus all the pockets, pouches and other similar things. The wood elf also wore a long black cloak that fastened at the front of her neck and came down to her calves. At her back was what appeared to be bow made of dark wood, decorated with gold trim here and there; a quiver filled with finely fletched arrows - steel, most likely - accompanied the bow.

The Bosmer's amber eyes quirked as Vex glanced her over. "Is something wrong with me?" She reached up to ruffle her brown, short and unkempt hair. "Did I do something funny with my hair, or with... well, myself?"

"No, I... just like to know whether I'm familiar with whomever I bump into," Vex lied. She had been sizing the Bosmer up, hoping for a much richer target. Still, she didn't look to be poor... the coin purse at her waist, almost completely hidden from view by the cloak, would tell that tale honestly. Vex wasn't used to stealing from someone while they were completely aware of her; she had to be careful with this one. "So, you're... a wood elf."

The elf chuckled. "Unless something changed, then yes. Yes I am. And you're an Imperial with a knack for stating the obvious."

The comment made Vex bristle, but she didn't show outward annoyance. "I don't see many of your kind in Skyrim. It's a shame; yours is a fair race."

"Some would argue that." The Bosmer shifted in place, hand resting on her right hip - leaving her coin purse exposed at her left hip. Vex did her best not to shift her gaze directly to it. "Some say we're strictly carnivorous, and cannibalistic besides."

"I... well, are you?" Vex felt she was doing a good enough job keeping those amber orbs locked with her own.

"Me personally? No. I'm an omnivore, and think our ritualistic cannibalism is just disgusting - it's why I left Valenwood. My people on the whole?" She smiled wickedly. "Most are, a few aren't. Surely it's the same with Imperials - some adhere to the stereotypes, some don't? And the same with the Nords, too?"

Vex faked as convincing a smile as she could. She wasn't really interested in the conversation now; her fingers brushed the coin purse very gently, and began the slow, delicate process of removing it from the elf's side without being noticed. "I wouldn't know, considering I'm the same as you. I do know the thought is... unsettling, though."

"Hmm, but is it really?" The elf crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm sure it's unsettling to carnivores to see an herbivore eat."

Vex gave a small shrug - and with the gesture, managed to pluck the coin purse free without being detected. "Again, I wouldn't know. In any case, I'm sorry to have bumped into you. Maybe we'll bump into each other again - and not literally." She faked the smile once more, and took a step back.

The wood elf, to her surprise, nodded and gave a wink. "I'd like that. Until the next time, then." She waved, then unfolded her arms and stepped around Vex.

Divines, but the elf had been stupid. She hadn't even known that she was being robbed, and that Vex had just been forcing the conversation along. Still, she had the elf's coin purse, and she could add its contents to her own. She reached for her hip, eager to add more coin to her own-

Vex blinked. She knew she had her coin purse at her right side at all times. To make sure, though, she glanced down at her left side as well. Nothing. Had she left it behind somewhere? Had she been-

Her eyes widened for but a moment... then narrowed dangerously. She whirled around - to find herself facing the wood elf once more, who wore an amused expression upon her face as she, to, faced Vex.

Both women were holding the other's coin purse, and were very aware of that fact.

* * *

_**A.N.** - And there's the first chapter. If only I could provide such clear descriptions of settings and people in all my stories! Alas, even All In may eventually suffer from my general lack of descriptiveness. It's just not a strong point for me._

_So one evening, I was starting the Goldenglow Estate quest. No big deal; I've done it before. As I spoke with Vex to learn and make optional (and thus, help me track) the sewer entrance, I found my mind wandering..._

_'What if Mercer had been far harder on Vex for her failure? What would she do?'_

_This story will explore that train of thought, I believe. Quitting the Guild may seem like a stretch, but then again, one can only push someone so far before they decide enough is enough. Being abused by the Guildmaster seemed like a good breaking point for Vex, at least to me._

_The wood elf's armor, for those who might be thinking 'that sounds familiar', is the Bosmer Armor, as included in the Immersive Armors mod. (I've got to stop adding modded content to my stories, but almost all of the mods I've downloaded are lore-friendly, so I see no reason not to! x.x ) As for who the wood elf is? That's for another chapter. The next one, in fact._

_To me, the only way to get Vex's attention as a non-Guild stranger is to steal from her while she's stealing from you. Or just steal from her in general. Not the best way to get off to a good start, agreed, but there's no denying it will snag attention, no matter who the victim is. Besides, I'd always entertained the thought of 'two thieves stealing from each other without realizing the other is a thief'. I guess that all started when I first claimed Chillrend from Mercer's home - but considering that wasn't technically theft... well, you know. Even so..._

_As of this moment, All In has only two chapters done - and this is the first of them. Because it's an original fanfiction - unlike I Am Dragonborn, which follows a storyline - I have to get creative with the story ideas. The first big obstacle is... well, I won't spoil it. Suffice to say, though, there's going to be a fair bit of action in the third chapter - action as a thief would undergo, anyway. The problem has been deciding 'who/what/where/why/how'. Well, less so 'why', as I already know why. I'm still working out the finer details of it at this point, but I've got time for that._

_Anyway, let me know what you think!_

_-Spiritslayer_


	2. Chapter 2

For a while, Vex and the wood elf just stared each other down. The Imperial was trying to think of when the elf had taken her own coin purse; it had obviously been before the elf had crossed her arms, but why hadn't Vex sensed it?

Further, had she really been slower taking the elf's coin purse? Had the elf's mention of Bosmeri carnivores and cannibalism been her way of trying to shake Vex - by mentioning something just about everyone detested talking about?

Either way, the Imperial was equally impressed and infuriated. It was she who started toward the elf - and it was the elf who ran away from Vex.

The Imperial wasn't going to let the elf slip away, though; she gave chase, and tried to catch up to her... but dammit, she was fast. Just slightly faster than Vex, and seemingly content to flaunt that fact. Three times, she slowed down just enough to make Vex think she was tiring, and then she picked up her pace again, forcing the Imperial to push herself to the limit.

Eventually, though, the Imperial's stamina ran out, and she found her hands on her knees, all while gasping for breath. She glanced around; the elf had given her the run around Riften, but now she was...

"Vex?" The voice belonged to Brynjolf, and made the blonde thief realize the elf had left her in the dust - and in the marketplace, besides. "Is everything-"

"Bitch... stole my coin purse..." Vex managed, determined not to look at the red-haired Nord. "Got hers... in turn, but..."

He laughed quietly, and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Now that's a fun-"

"Hands off," she snapped, a bit too sharply. She glanced at him a moment when he pulled his hand from her shoulder, and shook her head. "Sorry... just... irritated..."

"I can imagine so." He gestured to his stand - from which Vex knew he ran his scams. From the largely successful - and equally fraudulent - Wisp Essence, to his latest, the Falmerblood Elixir... she'd been privy to each one by now.

Still, the green-blue bottles adorning his stand now were obviously not Falmerblood Elixir. More out of curiosity, she gestured wordlessly to them.

"Hm? Ah." Brynjolf took on his most neutral expression yet, so as not to give away what was clearly a scam. "Dwarven Draught. One bottle, and you will learn all of the secrets of the ancient Dwemer in one night - even if you don't understand all of it immediately."

She allowed a small smile at this. "Well, at least you're halfway truthful with this one," she murmured so quietly, only he would hear.

"I doubt anyone will ever understand how they worked," he confessed in an undertone to her, accompanied with a wink, "but not everyone thinks as you and I." His expression turned somber. "So... how have things been since you...?"

"Left?" She sighed heavily, and shook her head dejectedly. "Not easy. Theft is all I know anymore, and without the Guild..." She stared up at the sky. "It's a joke for me to even try stealing anything. No one buys, and it just feels... strange."

Brynjolf frowned at these words. "Mercer doesn't miss you, but the rest of us do. Even the new girl, who you never actually spoke with, misses you. Can't say the same for her friend, but you know..." He gave a light shrug. "All told, we want you back-"

"As long as Mercer's in charge, the Guild can go to-" She held her tongue, and let the word 'Oblivion' transform into a heavy sigh. "I'm not going back, Bryn. I won't. As long as he's there, the Guild doesn't need me. If he's so much better than me, he can prove it," she said bitterly.

"The way he treated you was wrong, aye, but you endured-"

"Wait until he starts hitting _you_," she interrupted him. "Wait until he starts calling everything you do a failure, starts calling you 'obsolete' to the Guild. Then, and only then, will you understand why I decided to leave. I had enough, Bryn; I'm not a masochist. I refuse to return to the Cistern every evening, only to have him hit me, belittle me, and just otherwise make me feel..." She bit her lower lip for a moment. "...Like I'm a worthless, good-for-nothing... bitch, I don't know."

He regarded her with forlorn eyes. "You were one of the best damn thieves I've ever seen," he finally said. "It's a shame you'll be going down the straight and narrow, most likely; if the Guild ever picks up again, you'll be on our 'hit list', if you steal anything from-"

"I know how it used to work, Bryn, and I know how it'll work if the Guild does recover," she interrupted. "And I also know that my life as a thief is probably over, yeah. I just... don't know what else to do."

"I wish I could say with certainty that you'd be welcome back at the Guild, but that's Mercer's decision, not mine, and..." He looked away from her. "...So, I guess this is... farewell, eh lass?"

"Seems that way," she replied, voice cracking a little. Hearing it said so simply... it hurt more than she'd thought it would. Without thinking, she hugged Brynjolf, who seemed surprised at first, but gently returned it shortly after the shock wore off. "I'm going to miss everyone except Mercer, so... if you could tell everyone else 'farewell' for me..."

"Aye." He reached up and gave the top of her head a small pat, then let go of her. "You take care, Vex. We're all going to miss you. If you're ever in the area again, don't be afraid to visit us - even if it's just to talk, to share stories about whatever adventures you get up to."

She managed a small smile, and reached up to wipe her eyes lightly. "Thanks. Though I don't foresee myself adventuring."

He picked up one of the green-blue bottles and winked at her. "Learn Dwemeri secrets?" he said with a joking tone.

She rolled her eyes with a half-grin at her lips now. "Nice try. I know how you work, Bryn." She turned away from him.

"It was worth a try," he said innocently.

"Was it?" She began to walk away, toward the northern gate; she waved over her shoulder. "Take care of them, Bryn. Don't let _him_ do to the others what he did to me."

* * *

As she sat at the docks, a bottle of typical Nordic mead in her hands - with only a couple sips taken from it - Vex wondered, not for the first time, what she'd do now. Her best talents were infiltrating places, and theft. Could she make a living as a scout, or spy, then?

She gently swirled the mead in its bottle, eyes watching the waters; twice, her gaze flicked up to Goldenglow Estate, the place that had all but condemned her within the Guild. As much as she hated that fact, she felt... liberated, at the same time. Perhaps too much so. She no longer had to answer to Mercer, or anyone else. Did she want it to stay that way? Did she want to stay independent, or did she want someone to give her work, as the Guild had done?

She brought the bottle to her lips, but didn't take a sip. It was odd; she'd bought the mead so she could get drunk and forget her troubles, but now... now, she didn't want to.

Perhaps it was the fact that she'd _bought_ mead in the first place that got to her the most. She was used to stealing it from everywhere else but the Ragged Flagon. Not only had she bought it, she'd bought it with the elf's money, not her own.

Her expression darkened, and rather than a sip, she took a few long moments to just drink from the bottle. The wood elf. She had taken Vex's coin purse without the Imperial knowing it, and had done so before Vex had even taken the elf's purse. And then there was the fact that she hadn't seemed all that troubled by it; in fact, she'd seemed... _amused_. Like it had been some sort of _game_ to her, to both steal and be stolen from at the same time. She had also been faster, and had readily lost Vex when the Imperial had tired out.

She was probably long gone already. Vex would never see her own coin purse again. To Oblivion with the coin; it was the purse itself that had some sentimental value to the Imperial. She'd taken the opportunity to examine the elf's coin purse, and had found it to be nothing out of the ordinary; even so, she wondered if the elf also had an emotional attachment to her own. She didn't seem to, not the way she'd run away from Vex.

The elf had less coin than Vex's coin purse held, which meant that in effect, the Imperial had 'lost out'. The elf had, in essence, robbed Vex successfully. The feeling of being defeated at a 'game' she was so familiar with playing irked Vex, and she finished the bottle of mead without a second thought.

"Well now... someone's looking lonely." The voice was only very, very vaguely familiar, and sounded jovial and friendly. Hearing it, however, made Vex twitch, and she glanced over her shoulder.

It was the wood elf, standing behind the Imperial with a hand on her hip - resting just above Vex's coin purse. She wore a smile, as well as the same armor she'd worn when they'd first bumped into each other.

"Go away," Vex muttered.

"It's nice to see you again, too," the elf commented, sitting down next to Vex. She extended a bottle of... something toward the Imperial. "I got you something."

"With _my _coin?" Vex retorted.

"And how did you pay for yours?" the elf replied with a wink.

The Imperial had no retort to that, and took the bottle offered to her. She opened it, sniffed it cautiously - she wasn't putting it past this elf to try and drug her - then took a sip.

Water. Just plain old water, probably from a river or some such.

"So, imagine my surprise when I find out you're every bit the thief I am," the elf mused.

"No." Vex lowered the bottle of water from her lips, prompting the elf to quirk a brow. "You're..." She wanted to say 'better', and give the elf the truth... but she also wanted to say she was 'worse', and make herself feel better - and possibly delude herself into believing it, in the process. Rather than finish the statement either way, she simply gave a heavy sigh.

The Bosmer chuckled quietly. "In the end, it doesn't matter who took whose coin purse first; all that matters is that we took each other's." She reached for Vex' purse, and after unfastening it from her belt, extended it toward the Imperial. "Here."

Vex blinked. Was a thief really _returning_ stolen property, and willingly? "Who put you up to this?" she finally asked.

"I did." She gestured to her own purse, tied to Vex' waist. "I want mine back, of course."

"You have less than I did-"

"True, but it's still mine, and this is still yours." She smiled softly. "Or is 'honor among thieves' just a figure of speech that has no truth behind it whatsoever?"

Vex reached out to snatch her coin purse back, and looked irritated when the elf pulled it away.

"Ah ah ah... we trade at the same time." She gestured to her own coin purse again. "Yours for mine."

The Imperial unfastened the coin purse at her own waist, and swapped it with the wood elf's prize simultaneously. "There, you've got yours back. Now leave me alone," she grumbled.

The Bosmer frowned a little at the words, and fastened her coin purse at her side gently. "I didn't come here simply to exchange coin purses," she said after a time. "We're both thieves, after all. Neither of us has any affiliation with the Guild... true?"

Vex wondered, for but a moment, if the elf had heard the entire conversation she'd had with Brynjolf, to be saying such a thing with such confidence.

"So, that puts us both in very... tenuous positions. We are not with the Guild, but theft comes naturally to us. They would come down on our heads if we tried to lift anything alone, and without their permission..."

"Are you here to talk my ears off?" Vex grumbled.

"I'm here to make you an offer." The elf dangled her legs over the edge of the dock. "You see, there's something I need to retrieve... but I don't know if-"

"Not interested," Vex said flatly. "The Guild will come down on you hard if word reaches them that you're stealing outside of their authori-"

"Did you know that there exist fences outside of the Guild?" the Bosmer interrupted. "I might feel inclined to introduce you to a couple... but you'll have to help me with this first."

The thought of having a fence - two, at that - available to her stirred Vex's interest, but she didn't show it outwardly. "What's this offer, then? Be quick about it."

"No. If I tell you before you agree to help, there's a chance you'll pretend you aren't interested, but then you'll go after-"

"'Honor among thieves'," Vex echoed, glancing at the elf.

"Says the thief who tried to take her coin purse back without exchanging. Ironic." The elf gazed out over the water now. "Give me your word you'll help me with this, and I'll tell you more. I don't like weak-willed partners, or people who try to stiff their partners."

Vex found that somewhat funny, considering it was a thief talking about stiffing partners... and yet, at the same time, she also knew that it was that precise reason the elf was saying it. Even so, she wasn't sure about the elf yet. She knew she was a skilled pickpocket - possibly better than Vex, even - but did that necessarily make her trustworthy?

She didn't seem to have patience, that was for certain - for she was standing with a sigh now. "Perhaps I was wrong about you," she muttered. "I thought you lived and breathed theft."

"I do," Vex said defensively. "It's not a matter of being afraid of the job, it's a matter of 'can I trust you?'."

"Of course you can. The _real_ question is, do you _want_ to?" The Bosmer looked down at the Imperial, who turned her gaze up to the elf in turn.

"...I want to, yes, but I'm going to be honest... you didn't do much to instill the greatest of trust."

"I could say the same of you, and yet here I am making you an offer."

This was true, and Vex knew it. She broke the elf's gaze, and looked out at Goldenglow again. "...Alright, you have my word I'll help you with... whatever this task of yours is."

"Glad to hear it." The elf extended a hand toward Vex. "Before I continue, perhaps we ought to introduce ourselves." She smiled lightly. "Call me Vess."

The Imperial blinked at the name, and chuckled quietly. "Odd. I go by Vex."

Vess' smile turned into a grin. "Very odd. Perhaps it's fate of some sort?"

Vex reached out and took the elf's hand, shaking it gently. "So, what's this job of yours that you need help with?"

* * *

**_A.N._**_ - Short chapter is short. The first one was kind of short, too. This, of course, is in comparison to the chapters in Flames._

_I'm suffering a stint of writer's block with All In. I've started writing the third chapter, but for now, I'm not completely sure how to advance it. Not that it's impossible, I'm just not sure how to do it in a convincing manner. I'll figure something out, though._

_Have you ever woken up and had the most random thought ever give way to what could be a fun mod idea for Skyrim? Happened to me yesterday afternoon, after I'd dozed off. I woke up and, for whatever reason, was thinking of auction houses. The very next thought I had was 'auction houses in Skyrim'. And then, as I tend to do with such random thoughts, I analyzed it... and thought 'if that was done right, I think that could be a badass mod'. I'm not sure if it would be script intensive or not - and I'm reasonably sure such a mod is far beyond my capabilities at present - but it is something I'd like to pursue. It would go something like this..._

_You would be allowed to participate in auctions for a wide variety of items, to be determined by an RNG of sorts. This could range from clutter, like cups/plates/jugs, to higher-end equipment, like Daedric/Glass armor. NPCs would take part as well, giving the feel of competition for these items. You could also put things up for auction, and possibly get more than their actual value back as profit! Don't want to pay for them? Thieves may rejoice! You could take the items from a storage facility (a warehouse) or from the auction house itself if you feel particularly daring! REALLY want the item you lost to that lucky bastard that outbid you? You might be able to find it in their home... ;)_

_And of course, it wouldn't be a SKyrim mod if it didn't sell rare items that, upon receiving (whether by purchase or theft), triggered quests..._

_That said, the premise of the mod means there's a LOT of work to be put into it. I don't really even know where to START, but this is something I wouldn't mind pursuing, because I do think there's potential for something here._

_I'll see, I guess. _

_-Spiritslayer_


	3. Chapter 3

Torchlight flickered off the cold stone of the crumbling fortress walls. They cast a light upon most of the room, though it did little to reveal the black leathers of the blonde Imperial tucked away in a dark, shadowed corner of the chamber.

Even so, Vex was immensely cautious. Vess' job had, at first, sounded to be absolutely easy - but that was before she'd seen the fortress and those that called it home.

"You're not the first to steal from me," Vess had said then, at the pier. "Someone I know - a rival thief - decided he was going to take a dagger that's been in my family for generations, and bring it to a fortress to the west. Now, normally I'd go after it and recover it myself, but the bastard went and allied with the bandits out there... and has given them my description. They left a pretty nasty gash in my side the last time I tried to sneak past them, and that was just past the entrance. So, the task, Vex, is simply this: retrieve my dagger from the fortress - without being spotted, and without killing a single bandit. I don't want him to realize my dagger has been stolen back until I've had a chance to plunge it into his back. I know, I know," she'd added upon seeing Vex's surprised expression, "'honor among thieves'... but he's never been honorable toward me. Frankly, he's a pain in the ass that needs to be removed entirely. Do this for me, and I'll not only introduce you to some of the finest contacts outside of the Thieves Guild... I may also feel inclined to let you in on some more lucrative business opportunities."

Low risk, high return. Stealing from a bunch of clueless bandits, returning a dagger to its owner, being introduced to a couple new fences to do business with, _and_ the prospect of future work, provided by Vess? Vex was too happy with her good luck to consider this first job an insult to her otherwise elite abilities.

Or so she'd thought.

It turned out Vess' information had been off. There were bandits in the fortress, alright - and they were all dead. Instead, Vex had to slip by a bunch of necromancers that had apparently claimed the ruined fortress as their own with the former inhabitants dead - most likely by their own hand. She had faith in her ability to slip by anyone undetected, but she would have much rather taken her chances with bandits and metal weaponry than with necromancers and their foul magics, which she had no means of protecting herself against. So far, Vex had slipped into most of the rooms, hoping to find Vess' dagger within each - but so far, each room had been devoid of any daggers matching the description she'd been given.

That left what she presumed to be the quarters of the fortress commander, back when it was still a glorious fortress. Most likely, it was home now to whomever led the necromancers that now called the fortress their home. If it wasn't there, she had no idea where to find it; she'd searched the rest of the place already, practically from top to bottom.

Of course, she had to do the impossible - and slip past the necromancer guarding the door without catching his attention. Seeing whereas he was leaning against the door, however, she didn't foresee that being possible. Worse still, she was in a low crouched position, and her legs were starting to feel stiff; she knew that if she waited too long, her legs would ache when she began to move again. The necromancer hadn't noticed her when she'd slipped into the room - his attention had been elsewhere at the time - but now he seemed as if his gaze wouldn't shift for anything but someone approaching from either side.

In short, she was losing this waiting game. Something needed to change, and fast.

Almost as if that realization was a cue, she heard footsteps coming from the corridor she'd entered the room from, and glanced over her shoulder from her corner. It sounded like one- no, two sets of footsteps were approaching. The necromancer leaning against the door stood straight at the sound, and he readied - much to Vex's horror - what appeared to be a spell that Vex recognized as the Magelight spell.

"Who's there?" he demanded, charging the spell before shooting the small, brilliant sphere of pure white magicka down the corridor; Vex had to fight the urge to sigh in relief, as the light didn't so much as shimmer off her shadow-covered figure.

"For the love of- put that out!" The reply was obviously rude, the tone gruff and coarse. "You're blinding me here!"

The necromancer grumbled under his breath for a moment. "Just walk past it, idiot," he growled. "I'm not wasting magicka to save your eyesight."

"Prick." The newcomer came into view - and his face made Vex's breath catch in her throat.

It was the male Breton she'd seen in the Cistern, the day she'd left the Guild behind. The same man who had looked at her for a time, then acted as if she was beneath him. She wondered wildly what he was doing here - and why the necromancer wasn't attacking him.

Behind him, a blonde Nord in rags was being all but dragged against his will behind the Breton. His wrists were bound, and it looked as if he'd been starved for days now. He was very skittish besides, his eyes darting this way and that; his demeanor was unmistakably terrified.

"Who's this, then?" The necromancer was staring at the Nord in rags, his nose wrinkled. Vex wondered why, and then it hit her in her corner: the reek of someone who hadn't bathed in days - possibly more. She fought the urge to gag, and had to force herself not to vomit.

"Some poor bastard who stuck his nose where it doesn't belong," the Breton replied. "I wondered what to do with him, then decided that maybe he'd make a better guard here in the fortress than he would a prisoner in the tower."

Vex wondered what exactly was going on here.

"So you starve him and deny him a bath," the necromancer scoffed. "Brilliant. I can see now why you're our esteemed leader's right-hand man."

"Spare me your sarcasm," the Breton snapped, "and let me in. Our 'esteemed leader' will decide this poor bastard's fate himself."

The necromancer shrugged, then turned to the door and unlocked it with a key pulled from a shabby burlap pouch at his side. He pushed the door open, then moved as far away from the door as he could - presumably to get as far away from the reeking Nord as possible. "Go on, then, and let me breathe some clean air for a change."

The Breton dragged the Nord into the room, who resisted at every chance he got; unfortunately for him, the lack of nourishment took its toll on him, and he was easily overpowered by the rather frail-in-comparison Breton.

Vex realized, in that instant, that the circumstances were perfect: the door was open, the necromancer's back was turned, and no one was around to see her slip into the room. This was the opportunity she was waiting for, and she took it with all haste - and with due caution, of course.

She slipped through the door just a second before it would have brushed against her, and so it was as if the Breton and the Nord had entered together - with no one else following them.

Already, Vex was examining the room, searching for an ideal hiding place - and a possible shortcut out, where she could slip out once she had Vess' dagger.

The sight that greeted her made her sick to her stomach, and she seriously thought she was going to vomit right then and there. The stench that assailed her nostrils made the Nord's reek seem like wildflowers in comparison.

If the chamber had belonged to a former fortress commander, it no longer looked the part. In the center of the room sat a stone altar caked in blood and gore. The stench of death was heavy in the air, accompanied by the reek of decaying remains. She couldn't tell from her current position, owing to one of several stone pillars throughout the room, but she thought she could see a half-rotted human hand upon the floor - and just the hand; it was missing two fingers, and the middle finger was half its normal length.

Candles arranged in a circular fashion around the altar provided dim illumination of the sides of the altar, while a chandelier of goat horns and wrought iron provided dim light from above. Fortunately for Vex, this meant the rest of the room was fairly dark; unfortunately for her, that also meant she would have difficulty seeing the floor - and if the strength of the deathly stench was any indicator, she suspected she'd trip over bones or other half-rotted body parts. No matter how hard she looked, she could see nothing else beyond the dimly lit altar; there was no other light source illuminating the room. She wondered if it was always this dark, or if it was preference of the necromancers' leader.

"Ugh... who had the decency to stink up my room?" An elf's voice was audible, and the elf to whom it belonged stepped into view - Vex guessed it was a dark elf, judging from how dark his skin was in the candlelight. "And with a filthy Nord, no- ah, it's just you."

"Yes, it's 'just me'," the Breton replied coolly. "Me, and some unfortunate soul who thought it'd be funny to eavesdrop on my latest bit of business."

"I told you, I wasn't-" The Nord finally spoke, but was cut off when the Breton whirled around and backhanded him savagely. He spun halfway around in place, and collapsed to his knees.

"Guild business, or our business?" the elf asked.

"Both."

The elf moved around the altar, and glanced the Nord over briefly. He walked around both the Breton and the Nord, but it was clear to Vex he was sizing the Nord up. She decided to take advantage of both the dim lighting and the clear distraction to press on; she didn't want to stick around any longer than necessary.

"You brought him to me because...?"

"I thought you could use another eternal guardian."

Vex didn't like the sound of that. Neither did the Nord, who was starting to panic now. She wasn't looking, but the sound of something hard connecting with flesh made her reasonably sure the Nord had been struck again. She steeled her resolve and refused to look at the scene unfolding behind her, instead determined to devote her attention to finding Vess' dagger.

"He's weak, but he'll do just fine. Put him on the altar, and let's begin."

She heard the sound of feet shuffling upon the stone floor, and imagined the Nord was being forced to lay upon the altar. Were there restraints on it to hold him in place? She couldn't remember; she hadn't been looking, either. For a moment, the thought of her being bound and laid out on the altar came to mind, and she realized - with no small amount of terror - that such would be her fate if she were caught.

"How much does he know?" the elf asked.

"I don't know any-" She heard another sickening impact, and was fairly certain she heard bone crack, possibly even break outright. She hoped - morbidly, she realized - that it was his nose; she wasn't sure she could stomach the thought of it being anything else.

"He knows you sent me to infiltrate the Guild and secure the supplies we can't obtain legally through them."

Vex tried to zone them out, but the fact that the Guild was being exploited without their knowledge... she found it both comical and offensive, as she'd once been part of the Guild. Part of her wanted to warn the Guild. The other part of her wanted the Guild to be duped by someone with clearly malevolent intentions and ulterior motives.

"Bring me the dagger, then. Let's be done with this."

She paused for a second.

"You mean-"

"Yes, that dagger. The one you retrieved a while back."

Vex held her breath. Was the Breton the thief that stole Vess' dagger from her? Was that same dagger about to be used for some malevolent sacrifice, or ritual?

"But I thought-"

"Do not forget, fool, which of us is the leader of this group," the elf interrupted. "The dagger. _Now_. Or you will be following this poor fool in undeath."

She shivered at the words, and was infinitely grateful she hadn't been detected... yet. She watched the Breton step away from the altar, watched him slip into the darkness of the room. The dagger was over there somewhere, then. She had to try - though she doubted it would work - to retrieve it before he could. She held no particular attachment to the Nord in rags, but undeath was not a fate she wished on him all the same. Mercer Frey, maybe... but not an innocent Nord.

She could make out the Breton's outline when he stopped and turned to face the elf. "I have to object to using her dagger. If she finds out-"

"She won't find out, because she'll never get the dagger back," the elf snapped. Vex took advantage of the moment to slip past the Breton, and found herself examining a very faintly lit desk with a sheathed blade laying atop it. Silver trim decorated the hilt in ornate looping fashions.

She hadn't seen the blade yet, but she somehow knew it was Vess' dagger. The hilt certainly matched the description Vess had given Vex.

"She's resourceful. I'm sure she'll-"

She glanced over her shoulder to see why the Breton stopped speaking, and noticed the elf was looking directly at her - no, not at her, at where the dagger had been located upon the desk. "Dagger. Now. Don't make me fetch it myself, or I'll sacrifice you first, _then_ this filthy Nord."

"I'm the only connection to the Guild you've got. You wouldn't dare," the Breton said in a self-assured manner.

"Do you truly believe that?" The elf laughed in a mocking manner. "Pawns are easily replaced... and you... _all of you_... are pawns."

"And you're, what, the king?" The Breton scoffed. "Don't make me laugh."

Vex decided that now was a good time to leave; the elf was moving in such a manner that suggested he was going to attack the Breton. She decided that it was too risky to try and slip out the way she'd come, and instead set about trying to find some sort of shortcut out. She turned her attention to the floor, hoping against all hope she'd find a trapdoor to use.

"Last chance, you useless piece of trash. Get me the dagger so I may sacrifice this poor fool and spare your life, or you will _both_ be serving our lord in an eternal vigil."

Now Vex _really_ didn't want to know. As insistent as the elf was being, she suspected she was running out of time to find a shortcut out.

"It's... where in Oblivion did you put it?"

Vex's breath caught in her throat, and she froze in horror.

"It's right there on the desk, you idiot. Stop pretending you can't see it and bring it to me."

"No, it's _not_ here!" The Breton's outline turned to face the elf. "Come here if you don't believe me!"

Vex watched as the elf slipped into the darkness, and her eyes fell upon the Nord. His attention was upon where the elf had disappeared, eyes wide with something akin to disbelief and hope. She felt a twinge of pity for him, and moved toward him, deciding that setting him free was worth the risk; their backs were turned, after all, and the lighting wasn't all that great.

When she came into view, sheathed dagger in hand, the Nord's eyes shot to her and his eyes widened - but to her relief, he didn't gasp in surprise. She lifted a finger and pressed it to her lips, then silently drew the blade and, in one fluid motion, cut the bindings at his wrists. She gestured wordlessly to the door, then handed the dagger to him.

He got the message, and as quietly as he could, slipped off the altar he'd been forced upon, Vess' dagger in hand.

"Great, it's not here. Now stop hiding it so we can get this over with!" The elf was sounding irritated; Vex made a mental note that for all the power they possessed, necromancers - or this one in particular - seemed to have no patience, nor did they seem inclined to believe that something was, indeed, missing.

"I don't have it! You can search me if you want!"

Vex stepped toward the door, the Nord in rags close behind her, and opened it silently. She heard the sound of someone shifting suddenly, and remembered that the necromancer that had been standing guard was originally leaning against the door; she worried he'd catch on immediately.

Luckily, the Nord, malnourished and frail as he was, was still in possession of some strength and speed, and seized the man's neck with one hand. He squeezed hard enough to prevent any sort of noise from escaping the necromancer's mouth, and nodded to Vex, who slipped out of the disgusting ritual chamber and silently closed the door behind her.

As soon as it was shut, the Nord slammed the necromancer on the stone floor, hand ramming against his throat. The impact of the stone floor against his back knocked the wind out of the necromancer, while the choking hand around his neck suddenly ramming into his throat denied him the ability to breathe for a time. Vex made a mental note not to get on this Nord's bad side.

"Thank you," the Nord said quietly once he was sure the necromancer had passed out from asphyxiation. "Here. I think you came here for this." He sheathed the dagger and handed it back to Vex. "I don't need it, as you saw."

"Mm." She took it back and tucked it at her waist, beneath her belt. "We should keep going; they're eventually going to realize both the dagger _and_ you are missing."

"Aye." He glanced toward the door, then looked down the corridor. "Come on, I'll lead the way and take care of any of these bastards that try to get in our way."

* * *

Vess had told Vex that she'd be waiting for her outside Elgrim's Elixirs. It was out of the way enough that only those in need of the apothecary would spot her, and she wouldn't draw undue attention; she was a practicing alchemist herself, and had been seen in and around the shop before. That was exactly where Vex found the wood elf, after she'd entered the city of Riften once more. The Nord had departed her company shortly after they'd successfully escaped the fortress; he'd knocked out each of the necromancers that tried to stand against them, while she remained undetected through it all. Vex had no words for Vess at first, and instead just handed the recovered blade to the wood elf.

Vess drew the dagger that Vex had handed to her, and examined the blade closely. She then turned her attention to the hilt, and nodded lightly. "This is it." She sheathed the blade and tucked it away. "I'm impressed, Vex. Thank you."

"Your information was off." Vex launched into an explanation as to how necromancers had overrun the place, and mentioned the Breton and his affiliation with the Guild.

By the time she finished, Vess looked troubled. "Ah... well, for what it's worth, I'm sorry for sending you into such a dangerous place. Had I known there were necromancers there now..." She shook her head. "But never mind that. You got my dagger back, and as an added bonus, you rescued an innocent Nord from a cruel fate." She smiled at Vex. "You've definitely proven yourself trustworthy, so now it's time for me to hold up my end of the deal." She reached into a small satchel at her waist and pulled out a neatly folded letter, and handed it to the Imperial. "In two days' time, meet me at the location indicated by that letter." She winked at Vex, and began to leave.

"Wait." Vex had taken the letter, but her eyes were narrowed and locked onto the wood elf. "I think I deserve a little compensation for the risks I took for _your_ sake."

Vess looked amused, but didn't argue the point. Instead, she wordlessly tugged a small coin purse from her side and tossed it to Vex, who caught it handily. "There's not much there," she admitted, "but I'll have more for you in two days' time, I promise."

Vex's fingers clamped around the coin purse, getting a feel for roughly how many coins were within. She could almost swear she could count the number of coins on both hands. "You're kidding me. I could have _died_-"

"Two days' time, Vex," Vess interrupted. "I get that you're used to instant gratification, but if you're going to be working with me in the future, you'll need to learn patience. Trust me, alright? In two days' time, at the location in that letter, you'll receive far more compensation, an introduction to the contacts I promised you, and - because you performed so admirably - another job I have in mind."

Vex didn't like the thought of having a figurative carrot dangled in front of her. Vess had been wrong about the bandits, and had provided her with far less coin than she'd been expecting. What if the wood elf was just playing Vex for the fool, conning her? Right then and there, Vex wondered if she was better off just leaving Riften and never looking back.

And yet... a couple fences, contacts, jobs... that was one tempting carrot to simply turn away from. Vess had indeed given Vex a job, and had indeed rewarded Vex for it - albeit not immediately. What if the wood elf _could_ be trusted? Was her own paranoia really worth sacrificing what could very well be the best thing to happen to her since she'd left the Guild?

She turned her gaze toward Vess, who was now climbing the wooden steps leading up to the stone streets. She thought for a moment about what she had to gain, and what she had to lose. Since she had nothing to lose, she decided to trust against her better instinct - and placed her faith in the wood elf's word.

* * *

_Faldar's Tooth. Bring the following:_

_-One (1) bottle of Black-Briar Mead_

_-One (1) bottle of Black-Briar Reserve_

_-One (1) bottle of Honningbrew Mead_

_-One (1) bottle of Honningbrew Reserve_

_-One (1) battleaxe (material doesn't matter)_

_-One (1) white cloth_

_-The money in the small coin purse I gave you_

_Before you arrive, tie the white cloth around the head of the battleaxe, and wave it through the air as you draw near Faldar's Tooth. You will be greeted by a man just inside the gate. Give him the bottle of Black-Briar Reserve, and he'll let you pass. The next guard you encounter will be outside the door leading to the fort interior. Give him the bottle of Honningbrew Reserve. Once inside, keep the battleaxe with the white cloth around its head in view. When you reach the fighting pit, use the coin I gave you to place a wager on 'Silverfang'. Follow the bookkeeper's instructions from there._

_-V_

_P.S. - The Black-Briar Mead and Honningbrew Mead are for our guests._

* * *

Vex had to admit, the list of items she'd need and the instructions struck her as bizarre, but she decided she'd go with it. She felt ridiculous waving the iron battleaxe through the air as she neared the fort, the white cloth wrapped around its head, but felt a little hope when she saw the guard on the other side of the gate, arms crossed. As per the instructions, she offered him the Black-Briar Reserve, and he let her in. She found it annoying that she'd been instructed to find Honningbrew _anything_ in Riften, but she'd managed to find a bottle of each and... 'liberate' them from their owners. The second guard received the Honningbrew Reserve with a nod, and let her inside.

The interior of Faldar's Tooth was dark and damp, the air cool. It was better lit than the fortress she'd infiltrated to retrieve Vess' dagger, which was oddly refreshing to her; it better illuminated the white cloth upon the battleaxe, and apparently served to keep several weapons from other men and women in the fort at bay.

When she reached the fighting pit, she looked appalled to find two wolves trying to kill each other. She'd heard the rumors that Faldar's Tooth was a place where pit wolves fought, and people placed bets... but she didn't dare believe it. She felt absolutely uncomfortable placing her wager on Silverfang, and with such a small, pitiful sum at that. The bookkeeper glanced at the sum, counted it out, then looked at Vex.

"Follow me." He opened the gate to the caged area he was standing in, and waited for her to enter. As soon as she did, he closed the gate and locked it.

"Hand me the battleaxe and cloth." She did so all too eagerly; the weight of the unfamiliar weapon had irked her, and she was glad to be rid of it. She watched as he set it down on the bottom-most shelf opposite the wall.

"Show me the letter." She did so, only slightly surprised he knew about it. He read it, nodded once, then crumpled it up and tossed it on a nearby brazier. He then moved toward the back wall, and pressed his fingers against a stone in the wall.

It sank into the wall beneath the pressure his fingers applied, and she heard a clicking sound. The entire wall shifted, and slowly swung open to reveal a small, secret passage.

"Go on ahead. I need to close the way behind you." He watched as she stepped into the passage tentatively. "And Miss Vex. Welcome aboard."

She blinked at the last five words. Did he know, then, about her? What did he mean by 'welcome aboard'? Was she part of some... secretive, alternate guild of thieves? She didn't get the chance to ask; he closed the secret door behind her, leaving her only one way to go.

The passage was reminiscent of a cavern, with wrought iron torches buried in the stone wall here and there to provide light. The passage seemed to stretch on for quite a while, and Vex wondered where it led. Would it lead directly to Vess and their two guests?

Eventually, the cavernous passage ended at a wooden door. The Imperial thief pushed it open tentatively, knowing she was fully lit by a nearby torch sconce; if there was anyone hostile on the other side, she was most definitely going to be seen.

What she saw made her jaw drop and elicited a gasp from her.

A room of stone walls, decorated with some of the finest silver dishes, silverware and wooden furniture she'd ever seen, illuminated by several lanterns throughout the room. Several tapestries of varying colors and patterns adorned the walls, hiding most of the stone walls from view; some of the tapestries appeared Khajiiti in design, some appeared to be of Valenwood origin. The wooden furniture was elegantly carved redwood, polished to a brilliant shine in some cases. In the center of the room sat a table surrounded by ten chairs; the entire set of furniture all but screamed upper class to Vex. Upon the table was a map of Skyrim, with septims dotting it here and there; she wondered wildly why they were on the map. Another glance around the room revealed several vases, filled with lavender, tundra cotton, and several other species of flora Vex wasn't familiar with; they were obviously from outside of Skyrim. It looked absolutely _nothing_ like the rest of the fort.

Leaning against the table, facing her, was Vess. She looked up as Vex entered the room, and smiled warmly. "Glad you made it. I was worrying you didn't trust me enough to follow through with my instructions. I'm extremely glad you did." She gestured to the other two figures in the room, one at either end of the table.

The first figure was a female Khajiit, with fur as black as night; it put her amber eyes in sharp contrast to the darkness of her fur. Her figure was clad in armor that Vex could have sworn was Guild leather, but she knew there were definite differences; it resembled Vess' armor more, except without the criss-crossing straps in the front and back; she also didn't wear the black cloak that Vess did. Where Vess' armor was brown, the Khajiit's armor was almost as black as her fur. She nodded her head to Vex in silent greeting.

"The Khajiit at my left is Ahzaja, but is comfortable being called 'Za', if you prefer. She's not the best fence in the world, but she can sell stolen goods nonetheless; in addition, she's able to locate exotic items from around Tamriel, no matter what you ask her to find."

"A pleasure," Ahzaja all but purred, bowing her head respectfully to Vex.

"And the Nord to my right... well, according to him, I believe you two have already met." Vess sounded quite amused as she alluded to that fact. When Vex turned her attention to the Nord, her jaw dropped.

It was the same man she'd saved from the cruel fate of undeath in the fortress two days ago. He certainly appeared to be in far better health than when she'd last seen him, and had clearly jumped at the opportunity to see after his personal hygiene besides. Instead of rags, he was now wearing steel plate armor, gauntlets and boots - but rather than the familiar, dull grey color, his armor was a brilliant white color. A steel plate helm rested upon the table in front of him, just as white as the rest of his armor. He nodded with a friendly smile toward Vex.

"His name is Agvar, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a better fence than him - well, outside of the Thieves Guild, anyway," Vess added with a chuckle. "He's not as proficient as Za at finding exotic goods, but he does offer worthwhile goods nonetheless, should you need them."

"We meet again," Agvar said, bowing respectfully toward her. "I can't thank you enough for saving my life from those necromancers, truly. When I saw you were after Vess' dagger, I wondered..."

"I didn't send her to save you, because I hadn't known you'd needed saving," Vess said with a sigh. "It's by pure luck she decided to save you, I'm afraid."

"That's well enough for me." He chuckled softly, and beckoned Vex closer. "Come, join us, friend."

"I would know your name," Ahzaja said, eyes never once leaving the Imperial as she approached the table. "I would rather not refer to you as 'you', or 'friend of Vess'."

"Er... Vex. My name is Vex." She couldn't believe her own luck. She had saved one of the fences Vess had intended to introduce her to - and not only that, the wood elf had kept her word. Vex had access to two fences now, both of whom apparently had their own strengths and weaknesses.

"And, also as promised..." Vess gestured to the map on the table, dotted with septims. "This is our single greatest resource as of yet. Each coin represents a prospective job, heist, or otherwise high value mark in Skyrim."

"I have maps of the other provinces," Ahzaja added, finally looking away from Vex. "Each of them have their own high value targets, but we won't be turning our attention to them just yet. We are still small in scale for now." She licked her lips, then lglanced at Vex briefly. "Before we say more, however, I believe you have something for us?"

She blinked, then recalled the two bottles of mead. "I do, yes. Black-Briar Mead, and Honningbrew Mead." She swung the small pack she'd 'borrowed' from the Pawned Prawn around to her front, and withdrew the last two bottles of mead. It occurred to her she had no idea who was supposed to receive which one.

Apparently, it didn't matter; they both just grabbed the bottle closest to them with an appreciative look.

"And last, but certainly not least..." Vess ducked beneath the table for but a moment, and emerged with a fat coin purse that was easily close to bursting with coin. "Compensation for the risks you took to retrieve my dagger, as well as a bonus from Za, Agvar and myself for saving Agvar from that morbid fate." She passed it off to Agvar, who handed it off to Vex in turn.

Vex had never felt so excited about something in... quite some time. She felt almost like a child receiving gift after gift on their birthday, and just when they felt as if they'd reached the last present, they received another. Life as a thief outside of the Guild... it was suddenly very possible, and she was living that life now. She suddenly felt the urge to rub it in Mercer's face, to show him that she didn't need the Guild any longer, but that they may need her... and that she would laugh as they failed while she, Vess, Ahzaja and Agvar flourished.

"So... faulty information on your last job notwithstanding, have I interested you enough in joining us formally?" Vess asked with a smile.

"Absolutely," Vex replied without hesitation. She was _not_ letting this opportunity slip away from her.

"Good. Then there's one final thing we would ask you to do for us first..."

* * *

_**A.N.** - When I'd been writing the chapter, I didn't think it would become as long as it did. On the one hand, I'm glad it turned out this long... but on the other, now I'm going to feel a sort of nagging in the back of my mind, telling me 'you wrote more than this for the third!'. My mind is brutal like that sometimes._

_For those who are curious, Vess' dagger is, in effect, the Justiciar Knife from the Immersive Weapons mod. I thought about the Seeker Knife, but decided the Justiciar was a better fit - in part because it's darker, but mostly because she actually uses a tempered Justiciar Knife as her dagger of choice when she needs one._

_That's not the last Vex will be seeing of the Breton. He and the necromancers won't play a massive part in the story, but they will appear again. As for their 'lord'? Said lord will not be appearing at all. Or rather, at present, I have no plans whatsoever to actually bring him into the story. (Also, fun fact: when I wrote the first half of the first chapter months ago, I'd originally intended to have the Breton serve as the male protagonist. Odd, then, that he's become an antagonist this time around. :P )_

_I've always wanted to do something with Faldar's Tooth. The one time I explored it, I thought 'why is there not more stuff inside?!' I then decided it was because of the bandits located outside. My memory as to the interior is hazy, I'm afraid, so if I got a couple details wrong, that's why._

_The fortress Vex infiltrated is a place of my own imagining. I may even make an actual mod of it at some point, if I feel so inclined, but until then, it's just a place that doesn't actually exist in-game yet._

_So I think my save file for Vess broke. For whatever reason, it keeps spamming a message about some error or the other with Alternate Start: Live Another Life - the catch? When I started that particular save file, it was with the vanilla start, in Helgen. I hadn't used AS:LAL for that, so I didn't get it. At first, I'd thought 'no biggie, I'll just dismiss the message'... and then it popped up again. And again. And again. And... well, you get it. It was making things ridiculous for me to play. (Yet ironically, my tank character DID get her start with AS:LAL, and the message only popped up once. Just once. I was able to play the game uninterrupted after that once happened, but when I tried playing Vess again, it kept popping up over and over again.) I've started a new game for Vess, and have decided to hold true to what I've come to imagine her as. When I first created Vess, I just wanted 'Bosmer in the Bosmer armor', and rocked that out pretty well. Then she started to develop a personality in my eyes... and when I went through the Dragonborn questline with Vess, her personality had taken hold. I became fond of playing her, and was trying to level her talent for thievery - not entirely easy at level 33, mind you, considering the few points you can spend in perks. So, with this new rendition of Vess, I've decided to focus on her thievery first, and THEN work on her combat skills, which honestly don't have a lot of points in them to begin with. (Most of her levels came from Smithing, when I wanted the Bosmer Armor and then the Bosmer Engraved Armor. This time around, I'm not going to touch Smithing unless I need to temper gear. I'll find the Bosmer pieces on my own this time around.)_

_-Spiritslayer_


	4. Chapter 4

Most of Vex's life, she'd learned that if something seemed like it was too good to be true, it probably wasn't real, or there was some horrendous catch to it.

Everything Vess had set her up with - a couple fences, promise of work, and gods, the pay for just fetching a dagger and freeing a Nord - absolutely screamed 'too good to be true'. And yet, she'd seen it all, had gotten the chance to lay her fingers upon the map, had handed a couple of things to Ahzaja and Agvar both for them to sell off as legitimate. It was good - very good, in fact - and it was true.

So what was the catch? Vex couldn't figure it out. Her entire life, the best deals have had ridiculous conditions, crazy catches, and various other 'strings attached' problems that left her weary.

When Vess had said there was one final thing the trio wanted her to do for them, she suspected that that was the catch, that she was going to be asked to do something so absolutely dangerous that it would make her second-guess whether or not joining their budding guild was worth it.

Instead, it had been as simple as delivering a letter to someone staying at the Bee and Barb in Riften. She didn't even need to see the person in question; she could just hand it off to Keerava, and - with coin provided by Vess for such a matter - the proprietress would see it off to its intended recipient instead. It was so laughably easy, that Vex was starting to wonder if being asked to do this was a subtle insult, calling her an 'errand girl' without using the actual words. She had almost confronted Vess about it, asked her why she was being asked to do such a simple, mundane task, but decided not to jeopardize the brilliant future she would secure for herself if she just did it.

It wasn't some masterminded heist, but it was paying work. Vex wasn't about to argue with that.

As pleased as she'd been to have been paid so much, she had left the bulk of the payment behind at her new guild's headquarters, under the watchful eye of Vess. She knew enough about Riften to know that walking around with that much coin was definitely going to draw attention to her. She wanted to just get in, deliver the letter, and get out. She didn't want to see anyone from the Thieves Guild, especially not the Breton.

As she drew nearer to the northern gate of Riften, she thought about the Breton again. Who was he, exactly? There was no questioning he was a thief - he'd joined the Guild, after all - but what sort of thief allies themselves willingly with bandits and necromancers? Had he allied himself with the bandits first, just to lull them into a false sense of security - and to make the takeover by the necromancers even easier? Had he just managed to sweet-talk his way into the favor of the necromancers, as opposed to facing the same grisly fate as the bandits had faced? What was he planning, that required him to serve as a contact within the Guild? What were the _necromancers_ planning? They had mentioned a lord... who was this 'lord' of theirs?

There were so many questions Vex wanted answers to, if only to sate her curiosity, but she wasn't truly so eager to know. She had a feeling such things were none of her business, anyway.

Theft. That was Vex's life, and she was going to stick to it. Getting herself involved in such matters as the necromancers' plotting would not spell out a bright future for her. Besides, if it meant more skulking around ruined forts, forced to endure the stench of rotting corpses and the reek of the undead, she wasn't sure she wanted any part of it anyway.

Passing the stables, Vex's gaze rested upon a group of people standing outside the northern gate. Her brow furrowed; was Brynjolf still running the 'visitors' tax' scam with the 'guards' he'd hired? But surely not everyone in the growing crowd was a newcomer to the city, nor were they so stupid or poor as to linger outside the city's gate... She suspected there was something else going on, and decided to get closer and listen in.

The commotion made it close to impossible to hear any one thing over another; words seemed to blend together and get lost in the cacophony. Still, Vex was able to make out such snippets as 'disaster', 'casualties' and 'restricted'. She bit her lower lip; that couldn't be good. What had happened to elicit such words as those?

She felt something rub up along her spine, sending shivers through her in the process. She turned her head to face the source - and was face-to-face with the Nord that had been with the Breton in the Cistern.

The Nord was smiling lightly at her. "Long time no see," she commented in a low tone.

"I... yeah." Vex knew the Breton was in places a simple thief ought not to be; was the Nord as well?

The Nord crossed her arms, then jerked her head a little toward the gate. "You hear what happened?"

"No."

"Someone went on a rampage in the city. Lot of people got hurt; some are dead." The Nord sighed softly. "The Jarl has barred entry to everyone outside the city so as to minimize casualties."

"Any idea who-"

The Nord shook her head. "I haven't been able to get back into the city, so I don't know. There's no word as to who went on the rampage, either. Seems like the guards are being asked to keep the peace by keeping the people in the dark." She stared at the gate for a time, a frown at her lips. "You want my opinion, I think it's vampires. I hear they've been getting bolder throughout Skyrim, so maybe..."

Vex didn't like the thought of that.

"So anyway, you haven't been in the city in a little while. How have things been with you?" The Nord's eyes were upon Vex once more.

The Imperial only quirked her brow. "You've been looking for me?"

"Well... to an extent, yes. I was mostly wondering if you just wanted to talk about how Mercer was treating you." She smiled reassuringly. "He was actually very surprised when you ran out and didn't come back. Honestly? I couldn't blame you."

"I'm fine now, thanks." Vex didn't want to talk about the Guild, and especially not Mercer.

"If you say so. If you change your mind, though, I stay in the Bee and Barb most of the time as of late. Sleeping in the Flagon..." The Nord shivered a little. "It's uncomfortable. Besides, I don't get letters and other messages down there."

Vex thought about her task. "If that's the case, then could I ask you to do something for me?"

The Nord looked surprised at the question, but nodded. "Of course."

She pulled out the letter, and handed it to the woman. "I've been asked to deliver this to someone staying in the Bee and Barb. Honestly, though, I don't think I'll be getting in anytime soon. You, on the other hand..."

The Nord gave a silent nod, and her eyes scanned the name written, in Vess' elegant writing, upon the front of the envelope - 'Carissa'. Her brow quirked, and she chuckled quietly. "Though... if you're asking me to deliver this letter to Carissa, that's a bit... unnecessary."

Vex wondered as to her words, and the realization dawned on her. "You mean..."

"I'm Carissa, yes." The Nord smiled at her once more, and bowed her head to her. "So Vess is almost ready to make her move, I see."

Vex thought about the Breton, and how he'd infiltrated the Thieves Guild for the necromancers. Had Carissa infiltrated the Thieves Guild, too, for Vess' sake? Either way, the thought that the Guild had been infiltrated not once, but twice made her chuckle a bit.

* * *

"How long have you known Vess?"

The question was not one Vex had been expecting. "Not very long. We first met when we..." She felt her cheeks burn a bit in embarrassment. "Stole each other's coin purses. That was... maybe four days ago now."

Carissa chuckled softly.

"It's not funny." Vex couldn't help but realize that, looking back at it, it really _was_ sort of funny.

"No, I'm just... you're both such talented thieves, but apparently the thought of being stolen _from_ while you're stealing doesn't cross either of your minds."

Carissa had led Vex away from Riften's northern gate, toward where the Khajiit caravan had set up for the evening, and presumably the next day. At first, Vex had been wary of speaking of such matters around the Khajiit, but Carissa had reassured her that the Khajiit were friends of Vess, and thus could be trusted. Vex wondered if it would stay that way, should the Thieves Guild ever recover its former glory again.

The Nord had 'acquired' a roll of paper, a quill and an inkwell, and was writing out a response to the letter she'd received and read. Vex had wanted to know, but not even reading it over Carissa's shoulder had achieved anything; it was written in a code Vex didn't understand. As the Nord wrote, Vex noticed her writing was almost as elegant as Vess' own writing was - and that she was writing in the same code.

"So why the code?" Vex asked, unable to restrain her curiosity any longer.

"Because until Vess, Za, Agvar, you and I can get off the ground and truly take flight, we need to maintain a low profile." Carissa didn't seem offended at the question; she didn't even look up as she replied, opting instead to continue writing. "The Thieves Guild may be down on its luck, but it's hardly out of the picture entirely. Until they're either gone, or our dominance is asserted, we can't afford to risk our own plans being uncovered."

"You think I'm going to tell anyone?" Vex asked, sounding quite offended.

"It's not that so much as it is the fact that I've infiltrated the Thieves Guild. Who's to say they haven't done the same in kind?" Carissa looked up at this, a grim expression upon her face. "You'll notice I only named off five people. That's because only the five of us are actually members of the group. Those bandits at Faldar's Tooth? They're, for the most part, trying to reform, and we permit them to stay and keep would-be meddlers away from our headquarters."

"The bandits are-"

"In Vess' pocket, yes." Carissa grinned lightly, then looked down to continue writing. "Guardians of the group, yet not part of it." Her grin faded slowly. "But... he who can be bought with coin can oftentimes be bought by another, larger offer. I doubt the Guild even suspects the presence of a new up-and-coming guild, and I highly doubt they even have the coin to pay bandits to infiltrate said guild... but until we know that for _certain_, we all agree that the bandits aren't to be trusted completely. They'll continue to work for us as long as we pay them."

Vex knew it made sense, but was wondering why she, who was technically part of the up-and-coming guild, hadn't been introduced to this code yet.

"She'll teach you when you return," Carissa said, as if she'd read Vex's mind. "Or maybe she'll have Za, who first brought the code to us, teach it to you instead. Either way, don't worry; you have Vess' trust, and thus you have mine. You won't be kept out of the loop."

Vex wasn't completely satisfied with the answer, but she nodded regardless. "So, let me turn the question around on you..."

"Oh?"

"How long have _you_ known Vess?"

Carissa smiled. "Years. I ran into trouble in Valenwood several years ago. Vess found me, helped me get out of Valenwood, and we kept in touch while things quieted down. Once my pursuers gave up searching for me, Vess left Valenwood as well, and... well, we've been partners since. I owe her my life, and figure I'll repay that debt one job at a time."

"So what can you tell me about-"

Carissa shook her head at the question, cutting the Imperial off. "No. It's not my place to share her history with you. If you want to know, ask her. She only speaks of herself to those she trusts completely, and only when asked. She does not take kindly to others talking about her past in her stead, nor would she expect anyone else to do the same with others."

Vex pursed her lips and crossed her arms. For thieves, Vess, Za, Agvar and Carissa had all proven trustworthy enough... but would they remain so? There were definitely secrets she wasn't privy to yet, even despite being part of the group...

"Is this group a 'guild'?" she finally asked.

"We're looking to become a guild, yes. That will take time, obviously, and we'll have very stiff competition from the Thieves Guild all the while. That's why I was sent to infiltrate the Guild - to keep track of how much they know about other thieves throughout... well, Tamriel, really, but mostly Skyrim." She set the quill down, and began to fan the ink upon the paper with a hand, so as to dry it faster.

"If the Guild _does_ find out-"

"Then it's my job to misdirect them as best as I can, without rousing suspicion," Carissa finished, grinning devilishly at Vex. "I have no doubt they're capable, but I didn't escape the clutches of Valenwood justice by making mistakes."

Vex's curiosity was increasing rapidly, and she could no longer hold the question back. "What did you do in Valenwood?"

"That's a tale for another time, my friend." She winked at Vex, and tapped her fingers gingerly to the ink; a glance at her fingertips told her the ink had dried enough that it wouldn't smudge, and she began to fold the paper gently. "For now, though, our mutual friends would like my response."

Friends. Vex hadn't really had any in a long time. She'd had coworkers and colleagues she got along very well with, but had she ever considered any of them 'friends'? The more she thought about it, the less certain she became.

"Vex?"

She blinked as Carissa spoke her name, head tilted to one side in curiosity. "Sorry, I'm..." She noticed the paper, folded neatly in half, extended toward her, and took it carefully. "You... called me your friend. Are we really-"

"You'd rather _not_ be? And here I thought we'd get along so very well," Carissa said with a light pout at her lips. Her tone was such that Vex wasn't sure if she was being serious or not.

"It's not that, it's just... unusual for me to hear." She sighed softly. "I... don't think I've ever had any real friends, so it's..."

"I see." Carissa stood slowly, and stretched her limbs for but a moment. "Well, you may consider me your friend; I consider you mine." She smiled warmly at Vex. "Unless you object?"

"No, not at all." Vex nodded lightly toward her new friend and fellow thief, and gestured lightly with the paper in her hand. "I should be getting back now."

"Of course. Shadow hide you, Vex."

* * *

**_A.N._**_ - So on the one hand, I got over the writer's block I was suffering for the past few weeks... on the other, my writing quality slipped because of it. Maybe i's not so notable here, but it definitely seems like it's noticeable in a certain other story's next chapter._

_I was not pleased with this chapter, all told, and yet I didn't want to inundate it with stuff. The biggest point of 'concern' for me was whether or not to introduce Carissa already, and pin her allegiance one way or the other. As you can see, I did decide to include it and introduce her, so there's that._

_Not a lot to say here, admittedly. I'll work a LOT harder on the next chapter of All In, I can say that with certainty._

_-Spiritslayer_


End file.
